Electric rain-alarm.



H. J. HlRSCHMANN.

ELECTRJC RMN ALARM.

APPLICATION FILED APR.25. i914.

Patented Apr. 13, 1915.

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- ELECTRIC RMN ALARM.

APFLlCATION FILED APR.25 1914.

Patented Apr. 13, 1915.

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HARRY JOHN HIRSCHMANN, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

ELECTRIC RAIN-ALARM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 13, 1915.

Application filed April 25, 1914. Serial No. 834,506.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY J. Hmsorr- MANN, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, have inventedcertain new and useful Imvements in Electric Rain -Alarms, of wnich thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to electric rain alarms, and one of the principalobjects of the invention is to provide reliable and efiicient means ofcomparatively simple construction which will instantly give an alarmwhen it starts to rain.

In apartment houses, residences, hotels and other places where windowsare left open for the purpose of ventilation in many cases the rain hasbeaten in and destroyed carpets and furniture, and it is for the purposeof giving an alarm when the rain first commences to arouse the occupantsof these rooms that this invention has been designed. There are manyother places and uses for the devices. It can be placed in the yard oroutside the house in case that valuable articles which would be injuredby rain are placed, and the moment that the rain starts to fall thealarm bell is started to ring and will ring until it is released by theoperator. These and other objects may be attained by means of theconstruction illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which.

Figure 1 is a side elevation and partial section of a rain indicatormade in accordance with this invention, Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectionalview taken through the casg and showing in plan the rain indicator n thefunnel disconnected therefrom, Fig. 3 1S a perspective view of thefunnel supporting bracket, and Fig. 4 is a perspec tive view of abracket to which the spring is connected at one end.

Referring to the drawing the numeral 1 designates a base for supportingthe operating parts of the device. At one end an arm extends upward fromthe base, and a suitable bracket 3 is supported on the inner side of thearm 2 and has a contact button 4 thereon. A bracket 5 is supported uponthe base and at the top of the bracket 5 is a clasp member 6 pivoted at7 and provided will a suitable spring 8 to hold the jaws of the claspclosed. A sliding contact member 8 is mounted in a guide 9 secured tothe base. and in a guide member 10 having a book 11 rising therefrom.The sliding member 8' is provided with a vertical member 12 having ahorizontal portion 13 and pivoted to the portion 13 is a clasp member14; provided with a spring 15 to normally hold the jaws 1'3 closed. Apiece of paper 17 is engaged by the clasp members 6 and let to 1 id thesliding member 8 in the position shown in Fig. 1. A contact arm 18formed on the sliding member 8' is disposed in alinement with thecontact point 1 and a spiral spring 19 is connected at one end to thevertical member 12 of the sliding memher 8" and the opposite end of saidspring is connected to the hook 11 on the bracket or guide 10. A funnelsupporting bracket comprising the spaced vertical legs 20 and the feet21 connected to the base 1 is provided at its upper end with aperforated disk having a central aperture or perforation 23 forsupporting a wide mouthed funnel 24.

The electrical conductors a and .7) are connected to the arm 9 andextend therefrom through a battery 0 and thence to an electric bell (Zof the usual or any suitable construction.

The rain alarm or annunciator may be placed upon a window sill or at anyother point outside the house, and when a drop of rain is collected inthe funnel "21 it will be deposited upon the slip of paper 17, and owingto tension of the spring 19 the paper will be instantly broken, carryingthe contact arm 18 against the contact 4 and starting the bell (Z toringing. The bell will ring until the spring 19 is disengaged from thehook 11, and the sliding member 8 is mo ed toward the left in Fig. 1.

From the foregoing it will be obvious that a rain annunciator made inaccordance with this invention is comparatively simple in construction,is reliable in operation and is capable of many uses and will operateefficiently for its purpose.

Various changes in the details of construc tion may be resorted towithout departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as definedin the claims.

hat is claimed is 1. A rain annunciator comprising a casing supportedupon a base, a sliding member mounted on the base, a spring for holdingsaid member in one position, a contact arm carried by the slidingmember, a bell contact on the casing, means for holding a strip of paperagainst the tension of said spring, and

means for receiving and conveying a rain drop or drops upon said paperto permit the latter to break and to sound an alarm.

2. An electric rain annnnciator comprising a base, a bracket connectedto said base and provided with a spring clasp member, a sliding membermounted on the base and provided with a clasp member, a spring formoving said clasp members away, one from the other, a contact armcarried by the slide member, a contact on the base member in line withsaid arm, and means for supporting a funnel above a paper stripconnected by said clasp members.

3. An electric rain alarm comprising a base, a bracket rigidly connectedto the base, and provided with a clasp member, a sliding member providedwith a contact arm, and a clasp member connected to said slide, a con-Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

tact point on said base, said clasp members adapted to support a stripof paper, and means for collecting rain drops to be deposited on saidpaper and to break the same and to make an electrical contact forringing a bell.

45. An electrical rain annunciator comprising means for supportin astrip of paper immediately under a tunnel or rain colleetor, and meanswhereby When said paper is separated by the moisture an electricalcontact will be completed to ring a bell.

In testimony whereof I aillx my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

HARRY JOHN HIRSCHMANN.

VVitneses:

CHARLES F. FIELER, JoI-rN H.'THOMPSON.

Washington, D. G.

